In Australia all employees, including international students have rights and entitlements at work. It is important to know what your rights are, and how to resolve problems in the workplace if they arise. Most problems can be resolved by addressing the issue in the workplace as quickly as possible.
What are your workplace rights and entitlements?
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has information to help you understand your minimum workplace entitlements. Your entitlements include things like receiving the correct minimum wage and receiving a payslip within one working day of pay day.
You can visit the FWO’s dedicated page for young workers, including international students, to learn more about your workplace rights and protections.
What are some common problems in the workplace?
There are some common problems employees can experience in the workplace. Click on the links below to read about the steps to take to resolve these common problems with your employer.
- My pay doesn’t seem right
- I’ve been fired and I’m not sure what I am entitled to
- I need help with bullying in the workplace
- I’m a migrant worker being treated unfairly
- I think I could be an employee not a contractor
- I’m not getting payslips
What are some tips for speaking to an employer about a workplace problem?
Practical steps you can take to make difficult workplace conversations easier and more effective include:
- Make time to talk to your employer without interruptions.
- Be prepared:
- know the issues you want to discuss
- bring along any relevant paperwork, for example payslips or bank statements
- have some suggestions for how the issue could be fixed.
- Listen, keep an open mind and consider all points of view.
- Let your employer know that you’ve checked the relevant entitlements or obligations with the FWO, including on the website or over the phone.
- Check the FWO website for information together so you can read and talk about the same information.
You can also take the free course ‘Difficult conversations in the workplace’ to help you gain the skills and confidence you need to discuss workplace problems.
Contact the FWO
If you can’t fix the problem by raising it with your employer, you can get the FWO’s help with your workplace issue.
Contact the FWO through:
– the FWO website www.fairwork.gov.au
– the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or for translating and interpreting services call, 131 450
– My account to lodge an online enquiry
